Mittenwald

Matthias Klotz returned to Mittenwald around 1684 after training in Italy and began making violins; the trade spread through the town and became its main industry, supported by local spruce and maple, with instruments sold across Europe through Bolzano's fairs. A state violin-making school still operates and workshops remain in the town, with a museum covering the craft. The houses carry Lüftlmalerei, painted facades with religious scenes, trompe l'oeil architecture and figures, a regional tradition. The Karwendel range rises directly behind, with a cable car to a viewing platform at over two thousand metres.

History

Mittenwald's site on a relatively low, reliable mountain pass has made it a transit centre for at least two thousand years. With Garmisch-Partenkirchen it was acquired by the Prince-Bishopric of Freising in the late 14th century, recalled by the crowned head in its coat of arms, and the connection lasted until the prince-bishopric was secularised in 1802-03 and its lands passed to Bavaria (Wikipedia, Mittenwald).

What you'll find

• The violin workshops - a craft continuous in the town since 1684.
• The Lüftlmalerei - whole facades painted with scenes and false architecture.
• The violin museum - tools, instruments and the history of the trade.
• The Karwendel lift - a cable car to a platform above two thousand metres.

When to go

May to October for walking and winter for skiing; the town is quiet in the shoulder months. Workshops keep working hours and some accept visitors by arrangement.

Practical notes

Workshops are businesses, not attractions, and access varies. The cable car closes in high wind. The town is small and quickly walked.

Nearby

Garmisch-Partenkirchen lies north; the Austrian border is south.

Key facts